Exactly. Barnet is north of the north circular... I don't think you can have a club that is supposed to be representative of London so far out of London. No wonder they're not getting the crowds, they've taken the club to a completely different market, without any marketing (to put into context it's the equivalent of moving Hull's home games to Pocklington).

Massive missed trick not landing Leyton as their new home in my opinion.
- Big working class population in that area of East London to target
- Potential to be in the area where they could build a relationship with the Olympic Park to take bigger games to the Olympic Stadium just over the road
- More attractive for away supporters to visit who could incorporate a trip to the Olympic Park into their day (and good transport links from Kings X)
For this to happen they would have needed the club and the RFL to have a vision and be pulling in the same direction.

It's a crazy situation when so much good work in London is being undone by the professional club and governing body.

Not been on here for a while so it's reassuring that smokey is still providing the manure to feed the world

You eat manure? I'm sure there are websites for that but i don't think it's here

1. Bottom 2 go down...regardless of who it is
2. Catalans will not be in the bottom 2
3. There is an argument that London does have an appetite for top flight RL, but it involves extra funding and a 20 year plan....something that would never sit easy with most pit village clubs. It doesn't involve a megalomaniac flushing millions down the pan and the RFL refusing to pay a cent for the expansion of their game in the capital.
4. Smokey TA is correct in that the short termism and pandering to the lower clubs will do more damage than good to the game across the region.
5. London Broncos will ply their trade in the lower divisions from 2015 onwards and the next time we see a capital club in the top tier will be AGAIN by invitation. This is 100% the fault of the RFL and David Hughes......it is not the fault of the pit village clubs I allude to above.
6. I am really annoyed I have to agree with Smokey TA

For me, it's not the prospect of losing the 2 expansion clubs that would matter in itself, it is more a case of where are "we" trying to take the game of RL in this country.
Since the inception of SL, the ethos seemed to be about expanding the game and taking RL to new areas and growing the sport and whilst we do have new clubs in the 3rd tier, which may, or may not, become successful , this will take many, many years.
Over the last couple of years, there has been some talk of Toulouse entering SL, which would certainly have helped strengthen the game in France but, this now seems less likely to happen.
The top tier is still searching for "stronger competition" and "more meaningful fixtures" but this is no basis for taking the game forward.

Is everyone forgetting who's bottom of the league then?

Having gone to the Catalans vs Hull KR game in Toulouse last year I was bowled over by the opportunity for RL in the City (affluent town full of sports (and rugby) nuts, great stadium, already established team), and what that could do for RL in France with the 'local' rivalry within SL.

I remember hearing all sorts of reports about the RFL being there to observe and coming away from the weekend (where I think 15,000+ turned up for the match) thinking it's a given they'll be in SL within 1/2 years - it's just such a sensible decision for SL.

And then, of course, the RFL decided to cut the number of clubs and squander the opportunity...

Spot on. London is the right opportunity in the wrong hands.

David Hughes has ed £13,000,000+ up the wall since 2008. The blame for the state of the club now lies[iI am an oil trader and successful at that but, but marketing, finance, business management, human resources etc are not my strengths[/i

I am stunned that the games governing body has permitted a man, who by his own admission is a crap businessman, to ruin the games chance of getting a foothold in the nations capital.

Everyone knows Bradford are currently at the bottom but unlike London and Les Catalans, Bradford have won 2 of their 4 games so far and so look like they are capable of quickly making up the deficit and climbing to safety. The same cannot be said so far of both London and Les Catalans, though the French are considered by most as the old cliché goes "too good to go down". While Bradford may end up being relegated West Yorkshire is hardly short of clubs (SL or otherwise). As far as the top tier goes both London and Les Catalans are the only game in town so their potential relegation could be strategically much more damaging to the sport. I'm sure you are aware of that though.

This is the risk run by reintroducing P & R although I feel the benefits will possibly outweigh the consequences. Especially in terms of fairness to sovereign clubs who have been purposely suppressed, and the effects of having something to play for at the lower end of the table. My club did benefit from licensing and the effects have been felt as we have been building season on season but there was always the nagging doubt that the RFL could simply toss us out at any moment plus the bitterness was massive across the board. I certainly felt it.

The acid test will be whether these teams are allowed to drop as others are or whether, as has happened in the past, certain clubs cheat the cap and are basically allowed to get away with it to save themselves because they are perceived as too big to go down. Will they be rescued or will they be treated like everyone else? I recall the season Wigan were struggling and there was a feeling that they were actually too big for us to lose to the championship. I don't think London are, and I think the south should be broached outside London to be frank, but Catalans is too big an opportunity to waste yet they may be and in the interests of fairness and equality (something ignored frequently) they can't be protected.

I am 100% in the Licencing camp, but now the RFL have decided that this new 8/8/8/ with a possible pathway to P&R is the way forward, then I hope that:
a/ they give it time. 6 years of Licencing wasn't enough...this new system needs 10 years or more before we can start to make judgements on it's success/failure
b/ Treat all clubs equally. Once they can rid themselves of the Lease on Odsal, the RFL need to get back to just running the game and leave "nature" take its course. Advances of TV cash and the like should be put to the SL chairmen in their monthly meetings and if clubs go under, then let them.

The club I support in SL will be in the lower tiers from next year and there can be little sympathy with our plight. The RFL have managed SL quite badly IMHO over the first 18 years, but let's hope they get the next stage of its existence right!

But Bradford would be just as big a loss to the SL though. Sure they're a basket case right now, with very little money, but there are no big city clubs currently playing in the Championship who have a potential to bring in 10K+ crowds waiting to replace them. Not to mention the history and prestige Bradford brought to SL. London and Catalan would be huge losses, but so would Bradford.

This season no Championship club will be replacing them , but they then will have the opportunity to replace somebody else in future seasons

IF they are big and good enough to do so?